Staple forming and inserting machine



NQV. 29, 1932. c. A. ROBINSON STAPLE FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1950 Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITE stares PATENT OFFICE CHARLES ROBINSON, OF SALEM, E/ZASSACHUSETTS, ASEIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY GORPCRATION, F PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY STAPLE FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Application filed April 24,

This invention relates to wire straightening devices and is illustrated herein as embodied in a staple forming and inserting machine.

Certain staple forming andinserting machines, for example machines of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,338,846, granted October 30, 192].

on an application filed in the name of Matthias Brock, include a pair of wire feeding rolls so located relatively to the staple formingand inserting mechanism that the wire from which the staples are formed must be curved through 90 on a relatively short radius between the feed rolls and the staple forming instrumentalities. As the wire used is frequently relatively soft ity is necessary to straighten the wire before it reaches the staple forming means and this has been com- 9? monly done in the past by passing the wire through a slot or groove the bottom of which is curved in a manner which is effective to take out the curve imparted to the wire by the feed roll. This construction has proved Q5 satisfactory with wire of the sizes'commonly handled by such machines. Recently, however, it has been desired to use smaller sizes of wire in some of these machines.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved wire straightening device particularly adapted to handle the smaller sizes of wire (for example wire .02 of an inch or thereabouts in diameter) used for some stapling operations 35 in the manufacture of shoes.

In order to meet varying conditions result ing from dilferent sizes of wire and from the different physical constants of the wire due to differences in its composition, a feature of the invention comprises a tube through which the wire is passed, illustrated herein as located between the feed rolls and the staple-forming instrumentalities of the machine, and means for varying the curvature of the tube to a greater or lesser extent as may be necessary to overcome the curvature of different lots of the wire. As illustrated herein the wire is passed through a flexible, helically wound tube the end portions of which are rigidly supported, the curvature 1930. Serial No. 447,061.

of the tube veing variable by a lever which, after the correct adjustment has been made, is secured against further movement. 7

'lVith'the above and other objectsand features in view the invention will now be described with respect to the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig 2 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the head of a fastening inserting machine commonl y known as a stitch-down staple lasting machine. 7 r The illustrated machine is of the type shown more fully in said Letters Patentof the United States N 0. 1,388,846. It is provided witha nozzle 10 having a driver passage 12 through which reciprocates a driver 14L. A wire indicated at 16 is fed by a pair of rolls 18 through a passage-way 20 to a pair of knives 22, 24 which sever staple lengths from the wire. A horizontally reciprocated inside former 26 and vertically reciprocated outside formers 28 form staples from the wire and present them to'the driver passage 12 for insertion by the driver 14 in a work-piecepresented to the nozzle 10 in a manner which is well understood by those skilled in this art.

It will be observed that in passing from the feed rolls 18to the passage 20 the wire 16 must be curved through substantially 90. In order to remove the curvature which this imparts to the wire, and to removeany curvature there may be having any other origin, T have provided a flexible conduit 30 formed from a helically wound wire and rigidly secured at one end to a bracket 32 and at the other end to'a block 34 by which the knife 22 is carried.

The conduit 30 can be arranged by adjusting its curvature to overcome curvature previously imparted to the'wire. For this pur pose a lever 36 is fulcrumed at 38 to the block 34, the conduit 80 passing through an openended slot 40 formed in the lever 36. A screw 42, passing through a slot 44 in the lever 36 and threaded into the block34, is effective to hold the lever 36 in adjusted position. When the lever 36 has been placed in a position which gives the conduit 30 the form neces- 7 ing wire to the staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, a flexible conduit through which the wire passes after it has left the feeding means and which serves to straighten the wire before it reaches the staple forming instrum-entalities, means for flexing the conduit to vary its wire-straightening effect, and means for securing the conduit in its flexed position.

2.. A staple forming and inserting machine having, in combination, staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, a pair of feed rolls constructed and arranged to feed Wire to the staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, adjustable wire straightening means comprising a flexible conduit located between the feed rolls and the staple forming instrumentalities, and means for securing the flexible conduit of the wire straightening means in adjusted position.

I 3. A staple forming and inserting machine having, in combination, staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, means for feeding wire to said instrumentalities, a flexible conduit for the wire located between the wire feeding means and the staple forming instrumentalities a portion of which is normally curved,- and means for varying the curvature of said conduit adjustable to overcome the curvature of the wire so that each staple length of wire will be substantially straight when it reaches the staple forming instrumentalities. I

4. A staple forming and inserting machine having, in combination, staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, a pair of feed rolls constructed and arranged to feed wire to said instrumentalities, a flexible conduit for the wire comprising a helically wound tube located between the. feed rolls and the staple forming instrumentalities, and means for varying the curvature of said conduit adjustably to overcome the curvature of the wire so that each staple length of wire will be substantially straight when it reaches the staple forming instrumentalities.

5. A staple forming and inserting machine having, in combination, staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, knife carriers, knives carried by said carriers operable to sever staple lengths from the wire, and a wire straightening device comprising a flexible conduit secured directly to one of the knife carriers and constructed and arranged to straighten the wire before the successive staple lengths are fed to the position at which they are severed.

6. A staple forming and inserting machine having, in combination, staple forming and inserting instrumentalities, a stationary and a movable knife carrier, knives carried by i said carriers operable to sever staple lengths from the wire, and a wire straightening device comprising a flexible conduit carried directly by the stationary knife carrier and constructed and arranged to straighten the wire before the successive staple lengths are fed to the position at which they are severed.

7. A wire straightening device comprising a flexible tube the end portions of which are rigidly supported, and means for controlling the curvature of a portion of the tube between its end portions.

8. A wire straightening device comprising a flexible conduit supported at its end portions, and means engaging a portion of the conduit between its end portions and adjust-- able to vary the configuration of the conduit.

9. A wire straightening device comprising a flexible tube comprising a helically wound wire, and having its end portions rigidly supported, and means for controlling the curvature of a portion of the tube between its end portions.

10. A wire straightening device comprising a flexible tube supported at its end portions, a lever engaging a portion of the tube between its end portions and adjustable to vary the configuration of the tube, and means for securing the lever in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES A. ROBINSON. 

